“I Didn’t Leave – The Re-Branded Republican Party Left Me”

American history has never seen such an abrupt brand transformation of a major political party, the Republican Party.  Most of the core principles and values of the Republican brand have been turned upside down by Trump and his MAGA followers in the past eight years.  Around the country, long term Republican loyalists are saying…”I didn’t leave the Party; no, the Party left me”.  This sentiment is common among the 30% of Republicans who voted for Haley in the primaries.  Will these worried tradition minded voters support Trump after all, or just not vote, or even turn to Biden?

Analogy:  “New Coke” Disaster

Branding is strategic.  It’s all about creating a long term bond with customers (or voters), based on basic values and promises that will resonate with them.  But allegiance and loyalty can be seriously jeopardized if a brand changes its core principles, even losing customers.  The most famous example of how a re-branding event became the biggest marketing blunder ever:  the re-formulation and modified taste of the “New Coke” in 1985.

The Coca Cola iconic brand and formulation had been around for 99 years when management decided to give its sales a boost with a different formula and taste, hence a new look.  Instead this re-branding created a firestorm.  Protest groups emerged, telephone complaints increased to 1,500 each day, and loyal customers switched to other brands   Management recognized very soon that their bond with customers was severely damaged.  Three months after the introduction of New Coke, they introduced Coca Cola Classic with the original formula.  Sales soared to new heights.

Traditional Policies Abandoned

This near disaster should shed light on the potential risks of moving the Republican brand further to the right and fully into the hands of Trump and the MAGA cult.  Trump has introduced a politics of grievance and fear. Here are some of the traditional values and policies that have been overturned by these extreme conservatives:

• International Security – instead of the Republican Party’s reliable support for alliances like NATO, aid for Ukraine and steadfast opposition to dictators like Putin, the emerging preference of this new radical Republican segment is to be isolationists and anti-globalists. The MAGA view of America is no longer the inspirational “shining city on the hill” (from Reagan), but now in decline or “American carnage” as described by Trump.
• Family Values – an appealing foundation of the old Republican Party revolved around wholesome American ideals – e.g. honesty, respect, trust, dignity, community, kindness and fair play. It will be a challenge for these new extremist Republicans to convince voters that they still believe in these values when their Party is led by a man found guilty of rape and sexual abuse, plus all the other 87 charges of criminal lawlessness. Trump’s polarizing behavior and track record of exaggeration and disinformation demonstrate a serious contradiction to the family values touted by traditional Republicans.
• Managing the Deficit – neither party excels in this area, but Trump’s dramatic tax cuts for corporations (35% to 21%) and high income people did not generate sufficient revenue gains during his administration. Instead, despite Trump’s prediction of eliminating the deficit, he created the biggest deficit increase in history (other than debt tied to wars) – a rise of $7.8 trillion.
• Crime and Corruption – the Republican long standing fight against crime is suspect going forward as House speaker, Mike Johnson, has promised several budget cuts in protection – e.g. 3% from the D.O.J., 7% from the ATF, 6% from the F.B.I., and 10% from the E.P.A.  Also the MAGA credibility for anti-corruption and integrity will be questioned in light of Trump’s convictions for various fraudulent crimes, his obsession for vengeful retribution against anyone who disagrees with him, and his promise to pardon the convicted 1,250 “patriots” from the January 6 insurrection.

It will be interesting to see what the 30% block of Reagan conservatives who voted for Haley will do next November, now that their old Republican Party has left them.  Remembering the New Coke disaster, the risks of undermining this brand’s bonds with traditional Republicans should not be ignored.